Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sri Lanka fits inside India 50 times
India: 3,287,260 km² (2024) · Sri Lanka: 65,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 5.2 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 1,340 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 6,062 m above Sri Lanka’s
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2,524 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of India, versus 49% of Sri Lanka
India: 59.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 48.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 67 times as many people as Sri Lanka
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Sri Lanka: 21.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 40% more densely populated than Sri Lanka
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Sri Lanka: 352 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sri Lanka are 1.6 cm taller than in India
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 168.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Sri Lanka and India are practically level
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Sri Lanka: 155.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sri Lanka is 4.8 years older than in India
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 32.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
India and Sri Lanka are practically level
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · Sri Lanka: 1.95 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
12% of people in Sri Lanka are 65 or older, versus 7.4% in India
India: 7.4% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 12.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
India hosts 17 times as many refugees per resident as Sri Lanka
India: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 0.0098 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
India has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sri Lanka none
India: 0.1 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, Sri Lanka 2
India: 3 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 36 times the size of Sri Lanka’s
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Sri Lanka: $109 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sri Lanka produces 45% more per person than India
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Sri Lanka: Int$17,065 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sri Lanka than in India (Gini 14.7 points higher)
India: 23 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 37.7 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Sri Lanka and India are practically level
India: 2.6% (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.7% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
India and Sri Lanka are practically level
India: 4.2% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Sri Lanka 1.3%
India: 2.3% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sri Lanka’s central government collects 9.9% of GDP in tax, India’s 6.9%
India: 6.9% (2022) · Sri Lanka: 9.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Sri Lanka’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× India’s
India: 23% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 29% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sri Lanka spends 59% more on health per person than India
India: $85 (2023) · Sri Lanka: $134 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sri Lanka live 5.4 years longer than in India
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Sri Lanka: 77.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 4.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sri Lanka
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 5.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sri Lanka has 57% more doctors per person than India
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Sri Lanka: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sri Lanka has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as India
India: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Sri Lanka: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in India is 9% higher than in Sri Lanka
India: 15.3 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 14 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Sri Lanka are obese, versus 8.0% in India
India: 8% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 11.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 21% in Sri Lanka
India: 22.6% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in India rate their lives 0.52 points higher than in Sri Lanka
India: 4.54 (2025) · Sri Lanka: 4.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in India drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Sri Lanka
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sri Lanka has 42% more meat per person than India
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Sri Lanka: 11.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sri Lanka and India are practically level
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,675 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 329 more hours a year than in Sri Lanka
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Sri Lanka: 2,053 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sri Lanka went to school 3.9 years longer than in India
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Sri Lanka: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sri Lanka welcomed 4.8 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019)
India: 0.01 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.03 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
India has 37 more World Heritage sites than Sri Lanka (45 against 8)
India: 45 (2026) · Sri Lanka: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
India has won 41 Olympic medals, Sri Lanka 2
India: 41 (2026 edition) · Sri Lanka: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
70% of people in India are online, versus 55% in Sri Lanka
India: 70% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 55% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in India is 45% faster than in Sri Lanka
India: 91 Mbps (2026) · Sri Lanka: 63 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Sri Lanka and India are practically level
India: 99.9% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
36% of people in India live in cities, versus 20% in Sri Lanka
India: 36% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 20% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sri Lanka has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79
India: 79 (2024) · Sri Lanka: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 44 times as long as Sri Lanka’s
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Sri Lanka: 1,562 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sri Lanka fly 44% more passengers per resident than those from India
India: 0.12 (2023) · Sri Lanka: 0.18 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Sri Lanka, but only 24% of India
India: 24.4% (2024) · Sri Lanka: 34.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in India emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sri Lanka
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Sri Lanka: 0.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
62% of Sri Lanka’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India
India: 24.1% (2025) · Sri Lanka: 61.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Sri Lanka
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sri Lanka: 20.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 18% more likely to be murdered in Sri Lanka than in India
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Sri Lanka: 3.3 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 20% deadlier than in Sri Lanka
India: 25.4 per 100k (2023) · Sri Lanka: 21.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sri Lanka is on average 2.4 °C warmer than India
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sri Lanka gets 45% more rain than India
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sri Lanka: 1,839 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is India bigger than Sri Lanka?
India is larger. Sri Lanka fits inside India 50 times.
Which has more people, India or Sri Lanka?
India has 67 times as many people as Sri Lanka (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or Sri Lanka?
People in Sri Lanka live 5.4 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 77.7 in Sri Lanka.
Are people taller in India or Sri Lanka?
Men in Sri Lanka are 1.6 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
